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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (12-5, 2-2) vs. MONTANA GRIZZLIES (12-5, 5-0)
Saturday, January 13, 2018, 1 p.m. • Lewis and Clark College (2,300), Portland, OR
Live Video and Audio: www.WatchBigSky.com, www.Pluto.tv • Play-by-Play: Tom Hewitt
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com

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THE OPENING TIP
Portland State will have the rare opportunity to knock off a league-leading team in consecutive games when it takes on Montana Saturday afternoon at Lewis and Clark College's Pamplin Sports Center.
           
The Vikings come off an exhilarating 93-74 win over Montana State on Thursday night, beating the previously 4-0 Bobcats after leading wire-to-wire. Now, at 12-5 overall, 2-2 in the Big Sky Conference, the Vikings will host the league's lone first-place entry, Montana (12-5, 5-0). The Griz won at Sacramento State on Thursday, 78-66. 
           
If Portland State can pull off another win, it would take another step up the Big Sky standings and gain a full game on the first-place team. PSU is 5-0 at home this year, as it plays at Pamplin while construction of the new Viking Pavilion is completed. The Vikings have won seven straight home games dating to last season. With the win over MSU, Portland State has a modest two-game winning streak overall.
           
The Grizzlies have gotten off to a hot start in Big Sky play, winning five in a row. They have won seven of their last eight overall, with just a 66-63 loss at Washington sandwiched in to their last month of play. Montana is 4-4 in road games this year. 
           
The Griz feature star guards Ahmaad Rorie (18.8 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Michael Oguine (14.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and have a strong inside game that out-rebounds opponents by four per night.
           
Portland State's win on Thursday night couldn't have been more satisfying, and more so for the way it was done than the opponent defeated. The Vikings were down three forwards as SRs Traylin Farris and Brandon Hollins and JR Jamie Orme were all unable to play due to illness. Add in SO F Brendan Rumel, who is now out for the year with a hip injury, and the Vikings were missing four of their six big men. 
           
With just nine players suited up, and most of them guards, the Vikings were undaunted. Using their usual version of full-court pandemonium, they jumped to a quick double-digit lead and never looked back. PSU shot it well, hitting at a .531 clip from the field,.846 at the line and making 14 three-pointers. And they forced Montana State into 21 turnovers, making them the ninth opponent this year with 20+ mistakes. 
           
SR G Deontae North led the Vikings four-guard approach with 22 points and four steals. JR G Michael Mayhew hit 6-9 three-pointers for a career-high 18 points. SR G Bryce Canda, JR G Deante Strickland and SR C Ryan Edwards all scored 11 points for the Viks. 
           
Portland State will try to maintain that momentum on Saturday afternoon as the game with Montana tips off at 1 p.m. A live video stream will also be available at www.WatchBigSky.com and www.pluto.tv. Live stats are available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State travels to Idaho State next Thursday, then plays at Weber State on Saturday. Both games tip off at 6 p.m. PT. The Vikings then come home for three in a row, hosting Sacramento State (Jan. 27), Idaho (Feb. 1) and Eastern Washington (Feb. 3).
           
All Viking home games take place at Lewis and Clark College this season as construction on the new Viking Pavilion is being completed. Thursday games tip at 8 p.m. with Saturday games at 1 p.m.
 
GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. MONTANA
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Montana leads the all-time series with Portland State, 36-23. In Big Sky Conference games, the Grizzlies hold a 28-14 edge... the teams split the season series last year with each team winning on its home court... Montana leads the series, 11-10, in Portland... the Vikings have won the only Big Sky Tournament matchup between the schools... Montana has won 14 of the last 17 in the series overall.
• LAST SEASON, Jan. 19 at Peter W. Stott Center, PSU 88, UM 79: Portland State broke open a close game with an 18-3 run to start the second half, leading by as many as 22. The Vikings shot .750 in the second half (15-20), .545 for the game. Five Vikings were in double figures. De'Sean Parsons had 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. For the Griz, Ahmaad Rorie (29 pts) and Fabijan Krslovic (24) had big games. Feb. 18 at Dahlberg Arena, UM 85, PSU 82: The Griz held off a late run by the Vikings after leading by 14. Deontae North led PSU with 23 points, De'Sean Parsons added 19 points and 13 rebounds. Rorie again had a big night, scoring 28 with five assists.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Barret Peery is in his first season on the Park Blocks. His only other head coaching experience is at the junior college level where he was 178-30 in six seasons (2005-08, College of Southern Idaho;  2011-14, Indian Hills (IA) CC)... the Grizzlies are coached by Travis DeCuire in his fourth season. He is 69-46 overall, including 2-1 against the Vikings.

VIDEO: SEE HIGHLIGHTS OF PORTLAND STATE'S WIN OVER MONTANA STATE
 
WHO IS HOT
• SR G Deontae North has scored 20 or more in the last eight games, averaging 24.1 points per game... he now ranks second in the Big Sky in scoring (21.0).
• FR G Holland Woods had a game-high nine assists in the win over Montana State and leads the Big Sky Conference with 5.9 per game... he hit the game-winning shot against Idaho last Saturday, converting a put-back from the middle of the key off a JR G Deante Strickland three-point miss. The basket came with 0.6 seconds remaining and turned a 72-71 deficit into a 73-72 win.
• SR G Bryce Canda had a strong all-around game against Montana State with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
• SR F Braxton Tucker got his most minutes of the season against Montana State, as he is coming back off a knee injury, and he produced. Tucker scored eight points in 15 minutes of action... the Vikings got 29 points off the bench against MSU, with 11 from JR G Deante Strickland, eight from Tucker and five each from JR Gs Derek Brown and Devyn Wilson.